Description
This article is from the Inflammatory
Bowel Disease FAQ, by Susan Blank smb@panix.com with numerous
contributions by others.
3.0 IBD and IBS books #4
"Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Guide for Patients & Their Families",
Stephen Hanauer, (Lippincott-Raven, 1997). ISBN 0397517718. (paperback).
"The Complete Book of Better Digestion- A Gut-Level Guide to
Gastric Relief", Michael Oppenheim, M.D. (Rodale, 1990). ISBN
0-87857-869-2 (hardcover).
This is a very general book on the digestive system, with only one small
chapter on IBD, and not much detail. However, if you're looking for a
primer on how the digestive system works, common problems, and which drugs
and over-the-counter remedies work best, this is a good book.
Curiously, he says under the section on the ileum that there are no
major serious diseases of this part of the digestive tract! He also
reports an interesting study where doctors tried to establish, by
using endoscopy before and after, the effects on the stomach of a
bland meal of meat and fries, a bland meal plus six aspirin or a spicy
meal containing either Mexican peppers or a pepperoni pizza. Much to
their surprise, although they found definite damage from the aspirins,
there was no damage from the spicy food. Even when they ground up hot
jalapeno peppers and sprayed it directly on the stomach lining, there
was no damage.
This doctor has a very cynical approach to the medical system and I
much enjoyed his "advice" Here I have quoted some of the best:
Helpful Hint: Never mind that physicians are fairly intelligent.
When explaining your problem, assume that your doctor is rather dim.
Use simple world like "pain", "itch", "sharp", "dull". Always
describe your symptoms, but never give a diagnosis, even it it's
something any idiot should know. Believe it or not, when a patient
says that he had "the flu", I haven't the foggiest notion what that
means.
Myth: Tasteless food is soothing , while tasty food is irritating.
Deep Dark Secret: Now and then your doctor hasn't the faintest idea
of what your problem is. This happens more often than you'd guess. I
prefer to stall. It takes a sophisticated doctor to procrastinate
properly.
Another Deep Dark Secret: When a doctor sends you for a large series
of "tests" one important purpose is to give him time to think. While
you are having blood drawn, he may be poring though a medical book,
phoning a specialist, or simply planning his next move if the tests
are unrevealing, which they usually are.
Helpful Hint: If you want a doctor to take you seriously, insist
that your symptoms occur at night. People sleep at night, diseases
don't. Daytime symptoms are more likely to be stress-related.
Helpful Hint: Inaction is the best treatment for a host of medical
problems. Patients (doctors, too, espeacially surgeons) should use
it more often.
Helpful Hint: Cortisone makes everything feel better, but it doesn't
cure anything.
Helpful Hint: The less you take of a drug, the fewer side effects it
has.
Pearl of Wisdom: re the number of ulcers rising in women vs. men:
Blaming a disease on stress is an ancient and honorable tradition,
but it works best when we're ignorant. Notice what happens to that
clever explanation when I add another statistic: Heart attacks have
also declined for the past thirty years, but they're dropping
equally fast in men and women.
Myth: If a treatment is painful or dangerous, it must be Powerful.
Reading of the horrible ordeals patients in primitive tribes
willingly endure, no one should feel superior. All humans believe
this myth. On a superficial level, my patients are convinced that an
injection works better than a pill.
A Deep, Dark Secret: Despite our years of training, doctors draw
many conclusions by looking at a patient and thinking, Looks sick,
or, Doesn't look sick. Furthermore, we're usually right. When a
patient insists that he or she is sick, but I see someone who looks
okay, I know I'm in for a difficult time.
An Oppenheim Rule: You can't prevent everything.
An Oppenheim Rule: Stress makes everything worse, but it doesn't
cause anything. Relieving stress makes everything more tolerable,
but it doesn't cure anything.
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health, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, IBD, IBS, crohns, colitis
